Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook (23 page)

Gingersnaps that actually “snap” (i.e., crack apart when you break them in two) means people will sometimes complain that they are too hard. If you like a “snappy” cookie, overbake these slightly. If you prefer a softer one, bake them less. No matter what, if your cookies turn out too hard (or become too hard when stored), the trick my husband's mother used still works: Place the cookies in a plastic container with a lid, allowing some room on top; put a piece of fresh bread on the cookies. Put the lid on the container. In the morning, your cookies will be soft, and the piece of bread will be hard. Osmosis and diffusion again. Go figure.

1.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

2.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the shortening, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and the honey or molasses until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture and the lemon zest, stirring until well combined, with no traces of flour visible. (If you have time, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to make the cookies, let the dough come to room temperature.)

3.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. (High altitude: 375˚F.) Butter 2 baking sheets or line them with silicone baking mats.

4.
Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, place the dough about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Do not attempt to fit more than one dozen per sheet. Baking one batch at a time, bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies have puffed and flattened and have a crinkly surface.

5.
Cool the cookies completely on racks.

Makes 32 cookies

While researching
Tough Cookie,
I learned many ways a killer could hide in a kitchen on the ski slopes—and make a clean getaway. In keeping with the skiing theme of
Tough Cookie,
these cookies are “iced.”

1.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar and eggs and beat until well combined, then add the molasses and vinegar and beat thoroughly. Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture gradually to the butter mixture. (If you have time, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to make the cookies, let the dough come to room temperature.)

2.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter 2 baking sheets or line them with silicone baking mats.

3.
Using a 1½-tablespoon scoop, measure out dough and place the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies have puffed. (After you have made the first dozen, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then on a rack for 10 minutes, then taste one. If it is very dark brown on the
bottom and is dry, they are overcooked and you should bake the next sheet for a bit less time. If they are not quite baked through, bake the second sheet for a bit longer.) Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

4.
Holding the cooled cookies upside down by the edges, dip the tops into the icing. Allow to cool, icing side up on racks, until the icing hardens. Store between layers of wax paper in an airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

1½ cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of the milk. If the icing seems too thick, add up to 1 tablespoon more milk. Strain the mixture through a sieve into another bowl.

I decided to develop this recipe after seeing the high prices charged for chocolate-dipped, usually desert-dry biscotti in upscale coffee shops. Biscotti are easy to make; they just require
time:
first to bake the “loaves,” then to slice the loaves into cookies, then to bake again to make the biscotti, which you cool before dipping in chocolate. And for those of you interested in the origins of words,
biscotti
and
biscuits
come from the same roots,
bis
means “twice” and
cocere
means “to cook.” So biscotti are literally twice-cooked, and they are a great deal of fun to make, especially with children (who may or may not be receptive to the etymology lesson).

1.
In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the liqueur, whiskey, and anise seeds. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the nuts. Sift the flour and baking powder together. Gently stir in the flour mixture until well incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours.

2.
Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Butter 2 baking sheets or line them with silicone baking mats.

3.
Shape the dough on the baking sheets into 3 loaves, well spaced apart. Each loaf should be
about 2 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the loaves are puffed and browned. Cool on a rack. Leave the oven on.

4.
When the loaves are cool enough to touch, use a serrated knife to slice each loaf on the diagonal into slices about ½ inch thick. Lay the slices on their cut sides and return them to the oven for an additional 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely.

5.
Dip the biscotti in chocolate the day they are to be served. In the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the chocolate chips with the shortening, stirring frequently. Turn off the heat, remove the double boiler top, and stir the chocolate mixture until a candy thermometer reads 85˚F.

6.
Holding each cookie by one end, gently dip the tops into the chocolate mixture. Turn immediately and lift from the chocolate mixture. Allow to dry, uncoated side down, on wax paper. Continue until all the biscotti are topped with chocolate.

Makes about 4 dozen biscotti

We absolutely adore the combination of cream cheese with . . . anything, but especially—as you will see with other dessert recipes here—fresh or cooked strawberries. When Goldy is tasked with making cookies in Stanford colors (Cardinal red and white), this is what she comes up with. (Yes, caterers are often asked to make food in school or team colors.)

There is good news and bad with these cookies. The bad: They do not hold up to humidity, so if you live in a humid climate, wrap them tightly in plastic as soon as they finish cooling and place that package in a zippered plastic bag. Once unwrapped, serve them as soon as possible. The good news: If by any chance you ever have to be on TV—say you've been given two minutes to promote the school book fair—make these cookies in advance and serve them up to the person interviewing you. The camera will zoom in on you offering the cookies to the interviewer (who probably has not had lunch), and while she's munching on one, you can say to the camera, “And I'm sending a tray of these back to the station, too!” The people back at the station, who probably have had neither breakfast nor lunch, will not be able to stop talking about your cookies
and your fund-raising event
for the rest of the hour, with veiled threats of what they will do to the interviewer and the cameraman if they return empty-handed.

Maybe this is dirty pool, but publicity for charity events is hard to get.

1.
In a bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter with the cream cheese until well blended. Beat in the sugar and vanilla, then stir in the flour until well mixed. (If you have time, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to make the cookies, let the dough come to room temperature.)

2.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

3.
Using a ½-tablespoon measure, shape the mixture into small balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Make a small indentation in the top of each cookie with your thumb. Carefully place a strawberry half, cut side down, in each indentation. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12 to 18 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Cool on racks.

Makes 5 dozen cookies

While visiting family in Charlottesville in the 1990s, I used to walk several miles into town in the morning to have a cappuccino at the
one
place that served it. (This was before Starbucks swept across America.) Sometimes I would try a cookie, too (walks can be so exhausting), and one with bits of toffee in it got me to thinking. I came home and started experimenting, but nothing quite duplicated the cookie from that coffeehouse. Jim had never developed a recipe—and never has since—but he seemed to know what I was aiming for, and took over the development of the recipe. And am I glad he did! The cookie he came up with was buttery and crunchy, with just enough toffee made from Heath Bits 'O Brickle toffee bits.

And then, horrors! Bits 'O Brickle stopped being made. They were literally nowhere to be found.

I had been in this predicament before, when I was developing the recipe for Scout's Brownies. I'd had my epiphany about combining cocoa with melted bittersweet chocolate, then experimented with different cocoa powders. The cocoa that baked up into the best brownies was made by Hershey, and it was called “Hershey's Premium European-Style Cocoa.” Just as the book was coming out, there was no more of that cocoa on the shelves. I mean,
it was nowhere.
I called the Hershey company in a panic, and was told that Evergreen, Colorado, had been a test market! Clearly, I had not bought enough of the stuff. Now there is Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, and it is very good. I also use Droste, Ghirardelli, and Guittard cocoa.

So: Back to the Bits 'O Brickle. Eventually, I found bags of toffee bits in my grocery store. Thank goodness.

Of all the cookies Goldy has ever served, Cereal Killer Cookies seem to be the favorite. It was even published—and I remain very thankful for this—in
Ladies' Home Journal.
Despite that lovely publicity, people never seem to remember the name of the cookie. They just say, “We love that one with the toffee chips in it.”

1.
In a large bowl, mix the oats with the toffee bits.

2.
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

3.
In a food processor, mix the sugars until blended, then gradually add the butter. Continue to process until creamy and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and process until blended. Add the flour mixture and process just until combined. Pour this mixture over the oats and toffee bits and stir until well combined. (If you have time, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to make the cookies, let the dough come to room temperature.)

4.
Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

5.
Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, place scoops of dough at least 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

6.
Let the cookies set up on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then carefully remove the cookies to racks to cool completely.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies